Tenets of Faith
How many Pillars of Islam are there?
There are 5
What does Islam literally mean?
Submission —to God
How many angels are there?
There are hundreds of thousands of angels
Are all jinns evil/bad?
No.
“[‘Some of us are righteous and some of us are otherwise.’] (Surah al-Jinn, Ch. 72: V. 12)
Is the theory of evolution in contradiction with the Quran?
Not at all! Islam talks about the creation of men and the universe in multiple stages over a period of time.
Name all the pillars of islam (in order)
Kalimah, Namaz, Roza, Zakat, Hajj
What is the main source of teaching for those who practice Islam?
The Holy Quran
Name two angels
Some names include: Jibra’eel (Gabriel) Mika’eel (Michael) Izra’eel (Israel) Israfeel (Raphael).
What does the word jinn mean?
The word jinn basically means something that remains hidden, whether it is hidden owing to its form or its behaviour.
Who was the first prophet, was that the same as the first person?
In complete opposition to the popular notion, Adam was not the first man but the first prophet of God and Eve was his wife. Being the first prophet, he taught his people to worship one God and laid the foundation of DOs and DON’Ts on which the religious commandments of subsequent prophets were built.
What is the declaration of faith? Recite it
The declaration is Kalimah. La Illahah illal la, Muhammad ur Rasulullah
What does the word Quran mean?
Recitation/to-recite often
Do Angels have free will?
Angels are wholly bound to obey the commands of Allah, but do have some capacity for “free will” →
“Their [angels] example is akin to a horse whose neck is harnessed to a long rope which is tethered to a nail; [the horse] can move about, but it cannot leave the boundaries of its leash. Angels also orbit a fixed station and cannot leave its boundaries. This boundary is: “[They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them and they do as they are commanded. (Surah al-Tahrim, Ch.66: V.7)]
One can glean that angels do have free will by way of the question they raise about Hazrat Adam(as): “[Wilt Thou place therein such as will cause disorder in it, and shed blood? (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.31)]
“We also gather from the ahadith that angels have some free will. It is recorded that a man went to a scholar and said, ‘I have committed countless sins. Will I be forgiven?’ The scholar said, ‘Your repentance will not be accepted.’ The man murdered the scholar and proceeded to another scholar so that he could seek repentance at his hand. But the man died on the way. Upon this, the angels of Heaven said, ‘We will take him to Heaven, for he went with the intent of repenting.’ The angels of Hell, however, said, ‘We will take him to Hell, because he died before repenting.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Taubah). This [dialogue and difference in opinion] illustrates that angels have free will [to some extent].” (Malaikatullah, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 5, pp. 495-496)
Was Satan once an angel? How do you know?
There is another very much misunderstood episode concerning Satan. It is said, and it is believed, that prior to his fall he belonged to the category of angels. The Holy Quran rejects this view and presents Satan as possessing a fiery nature, thus belonging to such forms of life as are created from fire, for example the Jinn.
Can anyone be held responsible for anyone elses’ sins? If someone says “because you said/did this, I’m going to do that [which is a sin or wrong] and all the sin I incur will befall you”.
Islam teaches that there is no inherited sin. It is our own actions and choices in life that can be sinful or virtuous. Salvation in Islam is achieved by following God’s Commandments
What are the Rules of Conduct Muslims have to abide by (i.e. what are the two kinds of rights we have a duty to fulfil)?
Huqooq’Allah (rights—owed to—Allah) & Huqooqul-’ibaad (rights—owed to—people)
300- How many names/attributes of Allah are there? What are some of the common ones?
99 attributes of Allah; Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Malik, Al-Qadoos
What are 2 jobs/tasks performed by angels?
Archangel Jibra-eel controls the communication of divine revelations to prophets.
Chief Angel Mika’eel controls the provision and maintenance of life
Chief Angel Izra-eel controls the phenomenon of death
Archangel Israfeel is the one who will blow the trumpet on the day of judgement
Other angels: keep records of ppls deeds, control the operation of the laws of nature & the maintenance of the universe.
Can Satan possess humans? Or attack us to turn away from God?
No, Satan cannot possess humans. Satan has been an enemy of man from the beginning and will remain so. Satan does not attack overtly, rather he drives people away from piety through deceit, greed and through underscoring egotistic tendencies which take them towards evil.
Did Hazrat Adam disobey Allah, and if so, how?
Yes, when Allah created Adam and Eve, He instructed them not to eat from a specific tree in Jannah. However, they were deceived by Satan and ate from the forbidden tree, which was an act of disobedience
What are the 6 articles of faith?
Belief in (the oneness of) Allah
Belief in the Angels of Allah
Belief in the Books of Allah
Belief in the Prophets of Allah
Belief in the Last day/Day of Judgement
Belief in Divine Decree/the decree of Allah
What is the worst or gravest sin in Islam?
Shirk—association of partners with Allah
What sets the Angels apart from the Jinn? What are they made of?
No, they are not the same thing. Angels are made of Nūr or divine light & perform various tasks in service for Allah and jinn are made from fire/smoke + do not serve God in the same capacity.
Why did Allah create Satan & allow him to go roaming around with free will and influencing people?
Allah has created every person with free will and various qualities like aql (intellect) and nafs (ego/desires) which means we have capacities for good and evil. God put both these capacities in person for them to do good works and be deserving of reward, through their own choice. If man was created with only the capacity to do good, piety would not have been anything unique for him. Now that man chooses between two pulls or two attractions of good and evil, he is recompensed for choosing good and evil accordingly. And any person who does not desist from evil himself becomes satan.
Hazrat Adam and Satan both disobeyed the command of Allah, does that mean humans are also accursed like satan?
Adam and Satan both sinned. But Adam however, was not arrogant and confessed his sin and this is why hope springs eternal for man to be forgiven by God. Satan, on the other hand, was arrogant and was thus accursed. Human capacity is limited and does not behove arrogance. Prophets of God have many qualities one of which is negation and crushing of the self. Arrogance affects man imperceptibly therefore one should self-reflect minutely.